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Will Ice Augers Be Needed For The Governor's Fishing Opener?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – There's just 27 days until the Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener, and 25 inches of ice yet remain on the designated lake in western Minnesota.

Officials from the Willmar Lakes Area, which is hosting the 71st annual fishing opener, says the persistent chilly weather and the weekend record snowstorm has them ready to remove ice on Green Lake if need be.

fishing opener we got this
(credit: Willmar Lakes Area planning committee)

On Sunday, the planning committee posed on the lake with ice augers, blow torches and axes. The group added that if the opener isn't moved to another area lake, they are capable of clearing ice on Green Lake, as they did to supply ice blocks for the St. Paul Winter Carnival's ice castle.

The Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener is slated for May 12. The latest ice-out on record for Green Lake is May 8.

Looking ahead, more snow could come in the middle of the workweek. After that, it's possible temperatures could rebound toward normal, which is in the upper 50s.

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